Politics and Policy With a Punch

Browsing Category : Community

Last night the City of Santa Clara, thanks to the leadership of Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Vice Mayor Dominic Caserta, voted to draft an affordable housing impact fee ordinance. This ordinance, which included the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee on Affordable Housing, will ensure that new residential and commercial developments either include affordable units, or pay an in-lieu fee. It will also encourage…

Tonight, the Santa Clara City Council will vote on whether to adopt a new policy on residential and nonresidential impact fees. The City’s impact fees are a critical component in creating an inclusionary housing program that is both financially viable and commensurate with the impact fees of cities across the region. Among the items to be considered in the inclusionary…

When former Council Member and candidate for County Supervisor Pierluigi Oliverio decided to ride in a privately owned vintage fire truck during this year’s Rose, White and Blue Parade, he put Joseph J. Albanese, a 3rd-generation, family-owned construction company and owner of the classic fire truck in an awkward position. The use of the fire truck appeared to be an…

City of Santa Clara Raising minimum wage to reach $15 by 2019; Mayor recommends one week deferral NOTE: Mayor Gillmor has released a memo recommending this item be continued one week to July 18 due to the length of the July 11 agenda. Staff are recommending that the Council pass to print an amended ordinance establishing the City’s local minimum…

Bob Brownstein is one of the most influential people in South Bay political circles, and here is one reason why: when Bob tells you something, you can bank on it. Case in point is his report that he caught an enormous 40 inch lake trout on his recent fishing trip to Dalton Lake. Anyone who might have suspected an exaggeration will…

Tomorrow, San Jose’s minimum wage is set to increase to $12, a $1.50 bump an hour for the City’s lowest paid workers. This increase is part of an effort that began in 2012 when San Jose residents voted to increase workers’ wages from $8 to $10. Then, in 2016, as surrounding cities were committing to raises wages at a rate…

The South Bay Labor Council’s “Call For A Change” Campaign is rattling vulnerable Republican Congressman Jeff Denham. On his Facebook page, Denham posted the Labor Council’s announcement of the “Call For A Change” phone bank targeting his district, which has been a swing district for the last three election cycles. In the same post, Denham asked his supporters help him…

The booming Silicon Valley economy hides the growing crisis of the “missing middle” – the increasing scarcity of middle-wage jobs that are accessible to the average person and can support a family in this high-cost region. At the same time the Silicon Valley labor movement is fighting to raise the floor and create more middle-wage jobs, unions are also working…

Yesterday, the San Jose City Council voted to enter into an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement (ENA) with Google for the sale of the City-owned properties in the Diridon Station Area. Included as part of the ENA was the requirement that the developer implement a transparent community engagement process, which should include local residents, small businesses, faith-based and local organizations. Additionally, the…